First day of homeschool: A dad’s view

My wife and I talked about homeschooling long before we our oldest son was even remotely close to being school-aged. We’re almost always on the same page with things and what to do on the first day of school is no exception. First day of school means one thing. FIELD TRIP!!!! Growing up field trips were always the highlight of the school year. Yeah of course we got out of going to class and doing “real” work, but most of the time they were fun and you really DID learn something.

For us , back to school day in the past has sometimes meant a “not back to school day” We’ve enjoyed a beautiful day at the beach instead of the kids rushing off to school. What could possibly be better than having a day away as a family relaxing at a near empty beach. That day was a great way to say goodbye to summer and start off the school year rejuvenated!

Fun in the sun!

Last year we had our first day of school in New York City. The core of the science unit was going to be astronomy and the Space Shuttle Enterprise is at the Intrepid Museum. What a great way to kick off learning!! All year long as I got opportunities to do science with them, we could reflect back to our trip! Being there with them was truly a blessing and really helped me connect all year long.

Being a part of their first day of school does some amazing things

I get to show them I value homeschooling. In taking a day off from work to be with them and engaging in the activities of the day, I show them that their education is important to me. My hope is that this isn’t the only day I show them this, but that its the start of a daily reminder that we are blessed.

It shows I value them. It is often easy for dad’s to get caught up in work and let mom’s do all the schoolwork stuff. Taking a day with them shows I value them more than anything else. Again, I want my kids and wife to feel loved and valued every day. Making a special production of this big day is always a lot of fun!

It allows me to start the year engaged and fully a part of their education. I now have a starting point for what’s going to be taking place all year. This connection allows me to easily re-engage them as the year goes on and build on what my wife has been working on daily. It also gives me a chance to help her catch up on things when life gets crazy, because it does!

It allows us to reflect on how far they’ve come. Each year the kids write down some of their favorite things as well as drawing a picture. It gives the whole family a chance to reflect on how their interests and abilities have come over the last year.

I’d love to know what other families do on the first day of homeschool! We’re always looking for new and different ideas to add into our first-day routine.

To read about other homeschool families and their back to school traditions please visit this link here.